Too lazy to click, but it’s probably browser data. By default pretty much all browsers report OS info while browsing.
The intent is to ensure compatibility with the sites, and it’s also used to push relevant info to the front, e.g., going to the “download” page and having the first download link be a .deb instead of .exe.
It’s unfortunately also used as part of the data collected for browser “fingerprinting” so it can be a touchy subject and may get spoofed by some users, leading to erroneous data, but in aggregate it can be used to give a general sense of OS and browser market share for studies like this.
Wait wait, have we been lied to… Does linux actually collect telemetry?
They detect this from browsers, it’s not really accurate. For example, if you’re using LibreWolf, they’ll detect you as Windows 10.
Too lazy to click, but it’s probably browser data. By default pretty much all browsers report OS info while browsing.
The intent is to ensure compatibility with the sites, and it’s also used to push relevant info to the front, e.g., going to the “download” page and having the first download link be a .deb instead of .exe.
It’s unfortunately also used as part of the data collected for browser “fingerprinting” so it can be a touchy subject and may get spoofed by some users, leading to erroneous data, but in aggregate it can be used to give a general sense of OS and browser market share for studies like this.
It’s browser data, not telemetry.